Prime Minister Brian Mulroney is continuing to “sit” on the Deschenes Commission’s report on Nazi war criminals in Canada, more than a month after it was submitted to him.
The Prime Minister reportedly said he was studying the report and would present it to Parliament at the appropriate time. Meanwhile, he has cautioned all parties concerned not to discuss the contents of the report.
The Commission, headed by Quebec Superior Court Justice Jules Deschenes, handed the report to Mulroney on December 30. It represents 20 months of investigatory work and an expenditure of some $3 million (Canadian).
Some observers believe the Prime Minister is holding back the report because of repercussions from Canada’s large Ukrainian population. Many alleged war criminals are believed to be of Ukrainian origin or Nazi collaborators from the Baltic states.
Sources close to the Prime Minister’s Office said, however, that only 12 names of suspected war criminals are contained in the report, none of them Ukrainian.
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